Ask the Readers: What Are Your New Year's Traditions?

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2017 is just around the corner! Many people ring in the New Year by having a party, staying up for the Times Square ball drop, or watching the Rose Parade — but like any other holiday, there are countless ways to celebrate this annual event.

What are your New Year traditions? Do you usually stay up for a countdown? Will you be celebrating with friends and family, or will you be keeping it quiet at home?

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Mami2jcn #1

My tradition is to ignore the holiday altogether. I've always felt like New Year's was depressing. I go to bed early and act like it's any other day.

If I make any new year resolutions, it would be beginning of November - before the holidays. Making them in Jan. does not work for me. I'm already depressed the holidays over and it's cold outside. That puts more stress on my body.

My partner and I usually go out and celebrate until the wee hours of the first day of the new year. I do however like the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes for each strike of the clock, and maybe we'll try that as well.

I have a quiet celebration at home with friends and a bottle of champagne. We can't stay up late so we celebrate on East Coast time and then go to sleep. And of course we always make resolutions that end up getting broken.

I don't do anything on New Year's Day but I usually go on an adventure on January 1st. I like to start the year as I mean to spend it - fun and adventures. This year, I'm taking my nieces and nephew to Knotts Berry Farm on the 1st. It was their Christmas gift.

i'm from texas originally, so even though i've lived in NYC since 1999, my texan roots kickin bigtime at new year's...so i make sure to eat blackeyed peas on new year's eve...no matter what my plans are, i make sure to eat them in someway. maybe a soup, maybe just out of a can, but i do it for good luck. maybe even make a pot of hoppin' john. good luck for 2017, everyone!

I used to go out for dinner and drinks when I was younger, but now I prefer to celebrate at home with my hubby, my dogs, some good food and Champagne. We count down to midnight. We often watch tv and/or play board games. Laid back, casual fun.

Some of my new year's traditions are shopping for discounted calendars and Christmas cards on Jan. 1st. I also eat black-eyed peas on that day for good luck throughout the year. I forgot to eat them this year and 2016 has been pretty difficult. I'm sure some people would agree with me.

On New Year's Day, the same small group of friends and I gather to have a "Good Luck Meal." We eat kale, spatzel, sauerkraut and pork roast - all the stuff you're supposed to have to create luck in the new year. We've done it for ten years now. It's a low key and pleasant way to step into the new year.

Our family likes a low key, stay at home NYE. We have special snacks, maybe a fondue. And we watch movies or, in recent years, CNN with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. I don't generally make any resolutions but on New Year's Day I try to make a nice dinner that includes greens and black eyed peas so we start the year off right.

We usually spend a quiet night watching movies and then watch the ball drop. Last year on New Year's Day we spent the day with friends enjoying their tradition of eating pork and saurkraut and played board games. Best celebration! Planning to do it this year too!

Our new year's tradition says that whatever you're doing when the year changes, you'll be doing in the coming year. So we try to be spending time with good friends, eating healthy (and delicious) food, and enjoying the moment!

We usually have a pretty low-key new years - my husband and I order in our favorite food, watch movies, and sometimes (but not often!) make it to the new years countdown! If we want to go out to dinner to celebrate, we do so on January 1st when it's easier and cheaper to get reservations - especially because many people are still recovering from the night before!

Our extended family gets together for either dinner or late night snacks at my sister's house and we do sparklers and other (legal) pyrotechnic toys. We count down to midnight together and then everyone sips champagne or sparkling cider and exchanges hugs and kisses while we watch the fireworks display that comes from a nearby hotel.

It's never been a big deal; we go to bed and wake up like it's an average weekend. We've fallen into the habit/tradition of going over the inventory and updating the Emergency Bug Out Bags and reviewing the last year's budget before fiddling around with the new year's goals while dreaming up our next vacation plans.